"The first victory we can claim is that our hearts are free of hatred. Hence we say to those who persecute us and who try to dominate us: ‘You are my brother. I do not hate you, but you are not going to dominate me by fear. I do not wish to impose my truth, nor do I wish you to impose yours on me. We are going to seek the truth together’. THIS IS THE LIBERATION WHICH WE ARE PROCLAIMING."
Oswaldo José Payá Sardiñas (2002)

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Month of Remembrance for Harold and Oswaldo

Oswaldo and Harold:

Today marks one month from the two year mark of the day that the lives of Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, and Harold Cepero Escalante were brought to an end. The Christian Liberation Movement over Facebook announced that today June 22, 2014 ( a month before the 2 years of the deaths that have not been cleared up of Harold Cepero and Oswaldo Payá) begins the MONTH OF REMEMBRANCE FOR HAROLD AND OSWALDO. Each day they will recall a piece of information in order to continue insisting that their deaths be investigated. We will be reproducing them below.

The first item of information that they present is that nearly two years after the families of the two men requested their autopsies:

1. They (Cuban officials) still have nothanded overthe autopsiesto the families.2. On July 22,a call comesintoBayamoHospital"I amLieutenant Colonel of the MININTand I need youtosendan ambulance."The nursereplies, "I'mQueen Elizabeth, you know thatthere are noambulancesandthe woundedarebroughtin the firstvehicle that you find.""I repeatthat I amLieutenant Colonel andthat you sendan ambulance."WHAT WAS ALIEUTENANTCOLONEL OF THE MININT.AT THAT TIME,DOING IN THATROADMOMENTSAFTERTHE EVENTS?3. On SaturdayJuly 21, AngelCarromerogoes to acurrency exchange agency.The clerkasksforyour trip andAngelreplies thathe would visitVaradero.July22at 4:15am the regimeTwitterer, YohandryFontana tweets"oswaldogoestovaradero"4. AronModigremembers with great photographicclarityand precisionall the detailsof their stay inCuba, fromthe days before and afterthe tragedy, but absolutelydoes not rememberanything aboutwhat happenedthat dayJuly 22, he doesn't even rememberhaving sentthe first messagethat said thatanother vehiclehadforced themoff the road.

5 .July 22at 5pm,in a telephonecall,FelixRiveroCordovífromBayamo:"Oswaldo Payá has diedin a collision witha police car" http://www.goear.com/listen/560035e/felix-rivero-cordovi-alfredo-viso6.A doctor, surnamedPerez, when nursesexpressed interest inthe state of health ofHaroldCepero, said: "What is all the fuss, if he is a delinquentwho was bringingbombs".7. In a report read to several friends of the MCL in the hospital of Bayamo, the captain of the forensic police Fulgencio Medina, mentioned the involvement in what happened of another vehicle that was driving in parallel, a red Lada. Angel Carromero first confirmed that a white Lada (of the police), then a red lada followed them, and then a larger blue vehicle (Harold told him it had the license plate of state security) which was the one that hit them. 8.Cuban expertsconsulted bythe firstlawyer who AngelCarromerohadtold him thatforensic evidencepresented by theregimewasinconsistent. For example, the difference inthe descriptionof the displacementsbetween the rear wheelswasimplausible.9.A few years prior to his death, a neighbor alerted Oswaldo that someone had loosened the screws to the wheel of his VW.Withoutthis notice, he could have taken a trip and his whole family couldhave died.And whatwould have beenthe theory ofPabloIglesiasthatthe deathsin this unconsummated attackwas anaccidentor elsethe regimewould havealsokilled theotherwitnesses? (ashe has saidto justify the Cubantyrannyin the deaths ofHaroldandOswaldo)10-.BayamoHospital, July 22, 2012, in the afternoon. Ángel Carromeroison a stretcher andAronModigis brought beside him.Angel: Aron,did theyhit us from behind? Aron: Yes Angel: Do you thinkthey'll killus? Aron: Probably11. Poem from Cuba http://www.oswaldopaya.org/es/2014/07/01/poema-leido-por-damaso-fernandez-miembro-del-mcl-en-el-segundo-aniversario-de-la-muerte-de-oswaldo-paya-y-harold-cepero/

On June 17, 2014 in Geneva Switzerland the spokesman of the Christian Liberation Movement in Europe, Regis Iglesias accompanied Ángel Francisco Carromero Barrios the Spaniard, driving the car on the day Oswaldo Payá and Harold Cepero were killed and addressed a forum at the United Nations hosted by UN Watch and the Cuban Democratic Directorate in which they called for an international investigation into the two deaths. You can watch it below along with the hysterical reaction by the Cuban diplomat in the question and answer session that followed.

In the audience the U.S. Ambassador Keith Harper reaffirmed the position of the U.S. government:
“We reiterate our call for an
independent international investigation into the death of Oswaldo
Payá.”
"We have a simple question: What is Cuba
afraid of?"

Following outbursts by Cuban and Venezuelan delegates during the event the U.S. Ambassador sent out the following Tweet:
"Cuba [is] trying to stifle dissent at the UN, just as it does at
home."

As the two year mark of the suspicious deaths of Oswaldo and Harold approach they are remembered as is the call for an international investigation no matter how much the dictatorship in Cuba wishes that were not the case.